It was fitting that it was James Hamblin who won Hampshire's first Twenty20 man of the match award last night.

Hamblin, the man on the periphery of Hampshire's side, was rewarded for getting the home side off to the perfect start in the competition designed to attract those with a passing interest in the game.

His innings was made all the sweeter for it came against Sussex, his home county, who decided not to give the aspiring all rounder a contract when he was a teenager.

Hamblin's 27-ball 34 at the top of the order helped proved the difference between defeat and the dramatic five-run win - but it was Ed Giddins' final over that made Hampshire's night.

The visitors appeared to have timed to perfection their reply to Hampshire's 153 all out when Giddins, another man with Sussex connections, was handed the ball.

With Sussex needing ten runs to win and with four wickets still in hand the pressure was all on Giddins.

His recent National League form has been poor and his first two overs last night were ordinary but he enjoyed the best moment as a Hampshire player against the county where he began his career.

When he bowled Mushtaq Ahmed with the third ball of the last over the record 9,000 plus crowd gave its biggest cheer of the night.

Nine runs were still needed but Giddins kept his head to cap a perfect first night for the competition and everyone involved with Hampshire.

Giddins ended the night in fine fashon but Hamblin began it in his glamorous pinch hitting role.

James Kirtley was the visitors' biggest threat after getting the competition off to an inauspicious start by bowling a wide but he failed to get the better of Hamblin, who struck the Cup's first boundary with a straight drive off Robin Martin Jenkins.

Hamblin went on to strike six more as he put on 66 with Derek Kenway before being bowled by Jason Lewry in the eighth over.

Hamblin capitalised on the fielding restrictions in the first six overs, when only two fielders are allowed outside the ring, and Kenway was just as effective, top scoring with 35 from 26 balls to help Hampshire to the perfect start.

Kenway scored successive boundaries after the fielding restrictions were lifted and Hampshire mixed up their batting order intelligently to maintain the tempo.

Wasim Akram came in at number three to give the Cup the star quality it needed on its big day.

Wasim scored the Cup's first six, off Kevin Innes over long on, and later he took two wickets in as many balls to put Hampshire on course for a memorable win.

Hampshire lost wickets regularly after Hamblin departed. The third umpire was needed to confrim that Dimitri Mascarenhas had been stumped after Kenway had holed out to long on but John Crawley, who had lost his first toss in one day cricket this season, played a captain's innings in the middle of the order.

Crawley scored a run-a-ball 20 but, with Alan Mullally and Ed Giddins at number ten and 11, Hampshire failed to bat for the full 20 overs, having been 91 for 2 at the halfway point.

Fortunately for Hampshire Mullally continued his brilliant one-day form and Giddins recaptured his when it mattered most. But it was Wasim who set the tone.

It would have been fitting if the greatest bowler in the history of the one-day game had taken the Twenty20 Cup's first hat trick but his double whammy was dramatic enough.

Sussex were favourites to win at 'half time' but when Wasim took two wickets for just two runs in his first two overs, the balance swung the home side's way. His removal of Matthew Prior and Murray Goodwin in the third over were followed up by a Mascarenhas double

Mascarenhas was surprisingly expensive but hreatened to remove his shirt, Andrew Flintoff fashion, after dangerman Chris Adams was caught at deep extra cover by Shaun Udal.

Bas Zuiderent, the Dutchman who starred in front of a big Rose Bowl crowd two years ago, was also a major threat until he was snared by Mascarenhas.

While Tim Ambrose was at the crease there was always hope for the visitors - the wicketkeeper scored a brilliant 54 from 39 balls.

Robin Martin Jenkins was going well before he missed a straight ball from Hamblin but the one-day bowling nous of Mullally and Wasim proved critical.

Surprisingly, there was only one six in the Sussex innings (Ambrose smashed Udal over the mid-wicket boundary) but, as expected, there wasn't a single maiden over in the match - just plenty of maidens watching.